The Political Revolution Brought about by the Prophet (pbuh) and its Significance in Planning for the Reestablishment of 'Khilaafah' in the Present Times

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Question

If I may, I would like to draw your
attention to an article written by a movement who regard the reestablishment of
a universal Islamic state as obligatory (fard) upon every Muslim. To them,
universal Islamic state is the meaning of Khilafah.

The actual article is available
online at http://www.khilafah.com
entitled "How to Re-establish the Khilafah The Method of Muhammad (saw)?"

I have a few queries regarding the
content of the article. It states:

"... And He (swt) made the
Messenger (saw) the best example for the whole of mankind to emulate, by
making the Messenger (saw) dearer to the believers than their own fathers,
mothers, brothers and selves. Allah (swt) said, "Indeed in the Messenger of
Allah you have the best example" [Al-Ahzab:
21].

And anyone who took the Messenger
(saw) as their example would see that Rasoolallah
(saw) and his party of Sahaba (ra)
struggled hard against all odds, and by overcoming all obstacles, to establish
the supremacy of Allah's (swt) Deen
on the earth by establishing the Islamic State in Madinah, so that dar al-kufr
became dar al-Islam. Anyone who
looks to the Seerah, and wanted
to follow the Messenger (saw), would not have to look hard to see that in a
matter of thirteen years, the Messenger (saw) and his political party,
comprised of his Sahabah (ra)
managed to establish the Islamic State. The method by which this result was
achieved could be found in any of the books of the Seerah
written by the sincere Muslims. This method, which Hizb
ut-Tahrir adheres to both in the generality and the details, and
which is the subject of this conference today, is the method by which Muhammad
(saw) brought radical change to the jahil
(ignorant) Arabian society. And it is this very method that is the only way by
which the Muslims can re-establish the Khilafah
1400 years later. It is not the method of theory or fantasy but rather a
method that will shake the thrones of the tyrannical kings, terrify the
Presidents and stir the sincere masses to action that will return to them the izza
(dignity) in this life and the izza
in Akhirah. All those who seek
the return of the Khilafah and
the radical change that must accompany its return must dedicate themselves to
studying this method and following it without the slightest deviation. So they
would be required to obey Allah (swt) when he commanded them to collectively
work together as an Islamic political party to bring radical change when He (swt)
said, "Let there arise out of you a party, inviting to the good, ordering
what is right, and forbidding what is wrong. And they are those who are
successful" [Ale-Imran:103]"

If I may ask, what is the correct
relevance and context of the above verse with regard to their comments? Was the
aim of our beloved prophet and his "political party" really to establish a
universal Islamic State?

"So let us consider how the
Prophet (saw) built his political party, brought about the radical change of the
society and seized the power. Yes! Bi
idhnillah! The Messenger of Allah (saw) established a political
party, and he shook the very foundations of society and he sought the power and
he challenged the authority of the tyrants and he left no traces of their
tyranny and indeed, politics is from the Sunnah
of Rasoolallah (saw). Didn't Rasoolallah
(saw) say to the Quraish "I will
give you one statement that will make you the rulers of the Arabs and the
non-Arabs". And when questioned as to what that statement was, he (saw) said
"Say Lailaha illallahu, and you
will be successful". If this is not politics and political work then what
is?"

If I may ask, what is the correct
context and relevance of the above cited saying of our beloved prophet?

"Building the Party

From the first day that the
message of Islam was revealed to Muhammad (saw) it was a message that
challenged the very foundations that Makkan
society was built upon: "Read in the name of your Lord, who created you. Who
created you from something which clings" [Al-Alaq:1-2] This ayah commanded
Muhammad (saw) and all that follow him until Yawm
al-Qiyama to read, and study and gain the Islamic culture in the
name of their Lord, not in the name of the idols of Quraish, or the names of the idols of Western civilization
like democracy and freedom, but rather in the name of the Creator and the
Sustainer of mankind. After receiving the first revelation the Messenger (saw)
understood what this message meant when he returned and told his wife, Umm
al-Mumineen (the mother of the believers), Khadija
(ra), "After today there will be no rest".

The Messenger of Allah (saw) at the
start of his call would visit people in their homes, telling them that they
had been commanded by Allah (swt) to worship Him and to associate none with
Him. He (saw) openly invited people to Islam in Makkah,
thus abiding by Allah's command: "O you wrapped up, arise and deliver the
warning." [Al-Mudatthir: 1-2]

After this, the Messenger of Allah
(saw) would contact people to teach them Islam. Every time someone embraced
Islam, Allah's Messenger (saw) would send him or her someone from those who
had embraced Islam earlier to teach them the Qur'an. The Messenger of Allah
(saw) set up the house of al-Arqam ibn Abi
al-Arqam as the centre of his call, a place from which he taught
Muslims the Qur'an and perfected their knowledge of Islam, encouraging them
to recite the Qur'an and understand it. Every time someone embraced Islam,
Allah's Messenger (saw) would join him in the house of al-Arqam.

He (saw) pursued this task for
three years, teaching this group of Muslims, leading them in prayers, and
performing tahajjud at night,
motivating their souls, strengthening their belief through prayer and
recitation, helping them to improve their way of thinking and to reflect on
the verses of the Qur'an and the creation of Allah (swt). He (saw) taught
them how to endure all manner of hardships by submitting to Allah (swt). He
built in them the firm Iman so
that every trace of kufr and jahiliya
was removed from them and they became purified with the Islamic 'Aqeeda.
This prepared them to reject the twisted ways of their forefathers and to
throw away the diseases of nationalism and tribalism. Anyone who wants to
re-establish the Khilafah must build a party like the Prophet (saw) built his
party such that all traces of capitalism, communism, nationalism and anything
other than Islam are removed from the people so they would become people
worthy of carrying this da'wa
and capable of shouldering its burdens. The Messenger of Allah (saw) created a
radical change within his Sahaba
(ra) so that they were able to withstand the hardships to come. He (saw)
changed Umar bin al-Khattab (ra)
from the one who buried his daughter alive to the one about whom the Messenger
(saw) said "When Umar walks on one side of the road, Shaytan walks on the other side". It is this building of
the party that transformed Abdullah bin
Masud (ra), whose legs used to be blown away in the wind, to the
one whose legs became firmer than Mount Uhud.
It is this that transformed the 8 year old boy, Ali (ra), to the one who said
when asked how he had decided to accept Islam, "Allah did not consult my
father when he created me, so why should I consult him to worship him". And
it is this that led Abdullah bin Masud
to believe that the Muslims would conquer the world when they were only six in
number when Allah (swt) revealed the ayah,
"This is but a reminder to all of mankind". And it was this building that
led the Quraish to say about the
Messenger (saw), "Here is the man that is going to remove the Caesar"."

Is the view that our beloved prophet
was told to establish a political party correct with respect to the Qur'an and
the Sunnah? Do the above citations
support this view?

"Interacting with Society

After Muhammad (saw) had built his
party of Sahaba (ra) and created
a radical transformation Allah (swt) ordered him to go out and challenge the
ideas which the people of Makkah
held dear as well as the political elite of Makkah
who ruled over the people with kufr.
Allah (swt) said "Proclaim openly what you have been told and turn away from
the Mushrikeen!" [Al-Hijr:94].
After this Ayah was revealed,
the Muslims went out in two rows; one led by 'Umar
bin al Khattab (ra) and the other led by Hamza
Assadullah (ra) - they circumambulated around the Ka'ba.
They headed for the mosque in broad daylight to challenge the practices of the
rulers of Makkah, in the same
way Members of Hizb ut-Tahrir in
Uzbekistan distributed 100,000 leaflets in the same hour and on the same day
challenging the practices of the corrupt and tyrannical rulers of Uzbekistan.
The Makkan society was shocked since they had seen nothing like this before.
The faces of their leaders became pale and resentful. The Quraish
were shocked, since this was the first time that they had seen a group like
that of Rasoolallah (saw). For the first time they saw white and
black, slave and leader, rich and poor, united as brothers with a common
purpose challenging the 'Aqeeda
and the political authority of the Quraish.
After this, Muhammad (saw) took every opportunity to highlight the falsehood
of the way of life that Quraish were
so accustomed to. He (saw) condemned the economic corruption, exposed the
social problems and insulted the idols of Quraish.
Anyone who desires the re-establishment of the Khilafah
would need to emulate the Prophet Muhammad (saw) in highlighting the falsehood
of the way of the life of the disbelievers, condemning the economic practices
of the society and insulting the pillars of Western civilization that are
propagated throughout the Muslim world. This is in order to perform the
groundwork for the return of the Khilafah,in the same manner the Prophet (saw) and his Sahaba
(ra) did.

The Muslims would recite the ayah
of Qur'an, "Woe to those who cheat in the market" [Al-Mutaffifin:1], in their prayers in private and in public
as a direct challenge to the economic practices of the society. Today, the
Muslims need to challenge the corrupt economic practices such as the free
market - as an example Hizb ut-Tahrir
issued a booklet critiquing the Sudanese budget and a booklet explaining the
reasons behind the turbulence on the Far Eastern stock markets."

If I may ask, is this
"groundwork" consistent with our beloved prophets intention? What is the
correct context and meaning of the verse cited from Surah
Al-Hijr? Did our beloved prophet and the distinguish Sahabah
indeed condemn the practice of the free market? Would the related verse testify
to this?

"The political party of Muhammad
(saw) would challenge the leaders of Quraish. For example, when Hamza
(ra) embraced Islam he confronted Abu Jahl
and asked him "Do you insult my nephew when I am a follower of his deen?" Indeed, Allah (swt) attacked the tyrant of the day
when He (swt) said "Perish the two hands of Abu
Lahab and perish he!" [Al-Masad:
1]. Today, we must stand up against the tyrannical political authority of the
rulers in the Muslim world, like Abdullah of Jordan and Karimov of Uzbekistan,
and show the falsehood of their way of life and authority. Indeed to expose
such rulers is one of the noblest actions in the sight of Allah (swt) since
the Messenger of Allah (saw) said "The master of martyrs is Hamza,
and a man who stands up to a tyrant ruler and gives him nasiha
(advice). And so the ruler kills him." Many are the shuhadaa (martyrs) who stood up against the tyrants in the
Muslim world in emulation of the master of martyrs, and the tyrant rulers of
Uzbekistan, Jordan, Syria and Egypt spilt their blood."

We must also be at the forefront of
confronting the idols of the West like democracy and freedom in the same way
that the party of the Prophet (saw) confronted the idols of Latt,
Uzza and Manat.
The political elite of Makkah
and their way of life were shaken by the struggle of Muhammad (saw) and his
party such that they came offering him the world in return for him renouncing
this call. After they failed in such an endeavor they chased the believers,
tortured them, slandered them and boycotted them. Similarly, today, the
sincere carriers of the da'wa,
who made their sole reference the Messenger of Allah (saw), are pursued the
world over in an attempt to extinguish the light of Islam. "They wish to
extinguish the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will not allow
except that His Light is perfected even though the disbelievers may hate it"
[At-Tauba: 32]

Alhamdulillah! The party of the
Messenger (saw) was able to withstand the torture, tribulation, and boycott -
had there not been a party then this da'wa
would not have succeeded - since when Bilal
(ra) was being tortured, Abu Bakr
(ra) was there to carry the Islamic da'wa,
and when Musab bin Umayr (ra)
was imprisoned by his own mother, Uthman
bin Affan (ra) was there to convey the call. So in essence the
Messenger (saw) in a matter of a few years built a party that undermined the
very foundations upon which the society was built, destroyed the confidence in
the system, weakened the existing rulers, and was ready and able to assume
power over it. Muhammad (saw) persisted in shattering the existing way of life
and its systems no matter the hardship, struggle and sacrifice that was
required. In the same way we cannot afford to sleep in the struggle against kufr,
when we know that the disbelievers never sleep in their efforts to thwart the
plans of the believers."

If I may ask, do the above evidences
indeed testify to this opinion? What is their true context and meaning? For
example, one group leaflet said: "Every one of you knows, that your brothers -
members of the Hizb in Uzbekistan
perform their obligations by saying the word of truth before tyrant rulers for
the resumption of the Islamic way of life and the reestablishment of the Khilafah
State. Their such position is rooted on the following hadiths
of Prophet (saw): "The best jihad
is the word of truth said before a tyrant ruler", and "The Sayyid
(Master) of martyrs is Hamza and
the one, killed for the word of truth before a tyrant ruler". "Would this
and the above evidences justify such a stance? Furthermore, did our prophet
really "shatter the existing way of life and systems"? Does history indeed
testify to this?

The article
continues to go on and say:

"Seeking
the Power

Even
after all of this, Muhammad (saw) had not established the Islamic State. There
was still one missing piece in the jigsaw in order to place the final nails in
the coffin of dar al-kufr and
plant the mighty tree of the Islamic State over its grave. Building a
political party was not enough to plant that mighty tree. Undermining the
foundations upon which the society was built, destroying the confidence in the
system and weakening the existing rulers, was not enough to plant that mighty
tree. Rather the Messenger (saw) after building his party, and undermining the
society exhausted all his efforts in seeking the reins of power.

Indeed
without seeking power from those who have it, it would not be possible to
establish the Khilafah, and by
it Allah's (swt) Deen on the
earth. Look at any book of Seerah
and you would see that the Prophet (saw) spent three years going from one
powerful faction to another, encouraging them to help him seize power, and
implement Islam. In total he (saw) visited over forty tribes with a view to
them entering this Deen and assisting him in seizing power, so that Islam could
be implemented upon all and sundry.

This is
clear from the discussions that Muhammad (saw) used to have with the tribes.
After discussions with the tribe of Banu
Amr bin Sasa'ah they asked him "who will have the authority
after you" to which Muhammad (saw) replied "Allah gives authority to
whoever He wills". This makes it clear that the Prophet (saw) had come to
them seeking power to implement Islam, else why would they ask him about who
would have authority?

He used
to ask the tribes about their power and this was reflected in the reply of one
tribe who said "if we left a plate of food uncovered in the desert nobody
would touch it". Obviously Muhammad (saw) was seeking more from these tribes
than just their acceptance of Islam. He was seeking their power so that he
could seize power and implement Allah's (swt) Deen
on this earth. Indeed there is no doubt that any regime in the world is
maintained by the people of power. Seizing the authority by seeking the power
from those who have it is central to the Sunnah of the Messenger (saw).

Following
this Sunnah requires us to seek
the power from those who have it in order to implement Islam, and without a
doubt the people of power in the Muslim world are the armies, who are the
sons, fathers and brothers of the Muslims."

Does
history testify to this? Would this be supported by the Qur'an and the Sunnah?
Did our beloved prophet really "seek the reins of power" when visiting
tribes?

"They
are the ones who are entitled to be the descendants of Khalid
bin Walid and Usama bin Zaid,
rather than having the banner of humiliation foistered over their heads, as
they have done since the destruction of the Khilafah.
If the Syrian army were to move against the Ba'thist regime, the Muslims
would rejoice after years under Ba'thism.
The Muslims of Jordan are fed up with the traitorous Sharif clan and its offspring, and if the people with power
were to remove them, the Muslims would indeed rejoice. The very key to
transferring these sentiments and this yearning to establish the Khilafah is
the power - if the people of power moved against Karimov of Uzbekistan not a
single Muslim in Uzbekistan would shed a tear, and indeed this Ummah
would once again witness the days of happiness and tranquility that she was
once so accustomed to. The seeking of the power is what allows power to be
seized, Islam to be implemented upon all and sundry, and carried to the entire
world. The reward for those with the power who respond to this call is
immense. Indeed, it is narrated in the books of Seerah
that when Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra)
died, that Jibreel (as) visited
the Prophet (saw) and informed him that the recent death of one of his Sahaba (ra) had caused the throne of Allah (swt) to shake. It
was further narrated that thousands of Mala'ika
(angels) accompanied the funeral procession and offered the Janaza
(funeral) prayer for Sa'd bin Mu'adh.
Sa'd bin Mu'adh (ra) was one
of the leaders of Banu Aus of Madinah
who accepted Islam and then lent his support to the establishment of the
Islamic State of Madinah. He was
therefore at the forefront of the Ansar
helping the Prophet (saw) seize power and implement Islam.

So to
everyone who has power and influence in the Ummah
and to everyone who cares about the affairs of this Ummah
and strives for its revival we say to you would you like to die a death as one
who supported this Deen with his
power and influence, like Sa'dbin Mu'adh (ra) or would you
prefer the death of humiliation to be suffered by the treacherous coward
rulers?"

Where in
the Qur'an and Sunnah does it say that power has to be "seized" from
existing rulers? Do the above evidences support their opinion?

"Conclusion

This, my
dear Muslim brothers and sisters, is the method of Muhammad (saw) that we
should adopt in order to reestablish the Khilafah.
It is the method that removed the likes of Abu
Jahl, Al-Walid and Abu
Lahab from power and replaced them with leaders of the caliber of Abu
Bakr (ra), Umar (ra),
Uthman (ra) and Ali (ra). It is the method that established the State that
within decades made the empires of the Romans and Persians crumble under its
feet. My dear Muslim brothers and sisters, if you seek the return of the Khilafah
and the radical change that must accompany its return you must dedicate
yourselves to studying this method and following it without the slightest
deviation. By Allah (swt) there will be no excuse on Yawm
al-Qiyama for your failure to be an inheritor of the most pious of
predecessors and the most pious of groups from this Ummah;
the party of Muhammad (saw). This work that is required from you is political
work not political integration. This method is the method of change not the
method of compromise and stagnation and submission to the Kuffar. It is a method to please Allah (swt) not a method to
please the rulers or the people.

We ask
Allah (swt) to assist us in our endeavor to reestablish the Khilafah
with His Help and His Strength, and to accept from us this effort, and to
overlook our mistakes. We ask Him also to guide all Muslims to adhere to the
Method of Muhammad (saw), to honor them with the reestablishment of the Khilafah,
and restoring the rule with the Book of Allah (swt) and the Sunnah
of His Messenger (saw).

"And
say Do deeds! Soon Allah will see your deeds, and (so will) His Messenger
and the believers." [At-Tauba:105]"

Is the
conclusion that has been reached at all credible in the light of the evidences
that have been provided above?

Thank you
kindly...

Question from United Kingdom

Answer

The author writes:

"... And He (swt) made the
Messenger (saw) the best example for the whole of mankind to emulate, by
making the Messenger (saw) dearer to the believers than their own fathers,
mothers, brothers and selves. Allah (swt) said, "Indeed in the Messenger of
Allah you have the best example" [Al-Ahzab:
21].

No Muslim can doubt the fact that
the Prophet (pbuh) is indeed the example for him to emulate or, at least, aspire
to emulate. However, there are certain aspects of the life of the Prophet (pbuh),
which are not to be emulated. For instance, the Prophet's proclaiming his
prophethood is one thing, which no Muslim, in his right frame of mind can even
imagine emulating. In fact, this example should sufficiently clarify that
emulation of certain aspects of the Prophet's life can even result in
transgressing one's limits of being a follower of the Qur'an and that of the
Prophet (pbuh). Thus, before propagating the emulation of the Prophet (pbuh) in
any aspect of his life, it is extremely important that one should carefully
determine whether or not the particular aspect of the Prophet's life, which he
is promoting among the people to emulate, is actually one, which the Qur'an
and the Sunnah require us to
emulate.

Keeping this clarification in
perspective, let us first summarize the author's opinion and then analyze it
in the light of the Qur'an. The author, in the light of the Seerah
of the Prophet (pbuh), has made the following contentions:

Within a period of thirteen years, the Prophet (pbuh) and his companions (Sahabah)
brought about a political revolution and established an Islamic state (in Medinah);

The method in which the Prophet (pbuh) brought about this political
revolution is not just 'the best' but 'the only' method following
which the Muslims can reestablish the 'Khilaafah'.
The Hizb al-Tahrir adheres to
this method 'in its generality as well as in its details'. No deviations
should be made or proposed in this method[1];

The first stage in the method was to teach people about the basic
teachings and strengthening their faith in God; according to the author:
"This prepared them to reject the twisted ways of their forefathers and to
throw away the diseases of nationalism and tribalism". Thus, what the
author seems to imply is that in this first stage, the 'recruits' are to
be cleansed of the germs of 'nationalism', 'tribalism',
'capitalism', 'communism' etc. as only this would prepare them to
shoulder the burden of creating the 'Khilaafah';

After this basic training of the companions, the 'political party'
starts to openly challenge the ways of the rulers. In retaliation, the
rulers and their followers torture and try to dissuade the Prophet (pbuh)
and his followers from proclaiming their message;

At this stage, the Prophet (pbuh), seeking
authority, power and rule, started presenting his message to
other 'powerful factions', "encouraging them to help him seize power,
and implement Islam". This is precisely what any movement for the
reestablishment of Khilaafah
will have to do in the present times;

The author writes: "The seeking of the power is what allows power to be
seized, Islam to be implemented upon all and sundry, and carried to the
entire world."

If seen in the light of the
Qur'an, we shall see that the whole set of arguments presented above is not
only without any foundation, but is actually contrary to the clear stipulations
of the Qur'an. Some of the important points of the Qur'an, which the author
seems to have ignored in deriving his conclusions regarding the methodology of a
'political revolution' from the life of the Prophet (pbuh) are as follows:

The Qur'an has strongly stressed
that Muhammad (pbuh) is in continuation of the chain of a select class called
'Messengers (Rasul) of God'.
The Qur'an (Al-Ahqaaf 46: 9) directs the Prophet (pbuh) to declare:

Say to them: I am not an inventor
in the chain of messengers and I do not know what shall happen to me or to
you. I am only following that, which is being revealed to me; and I am nothing
but a clear warner.

This verse is clear evidence to the
effect that Muhammad (pbuh) is a continuation of the chain of prophets and
messengers of God. It clearly follows that not only the mission and the
objective of Muhammad (pbuh) was the same as that of the previous messengers of
God but also that the Prophet (pbuh) and his addressees were subject to God's laws relating to His messengers and their addressees. Thus, to fully
understand the mission, the objective and the various incidents in the life of
the Prophet (pbuh), it is imperative that the stipulations of the Qur'an
relating to the mission and the laws relating to the messengers of God be kept
in mind.

Although there is an apparent
distinction between the two designations of 'Nabi'
(prophet) and 'Rasul'
(messenger) as used in the Qur'an, yet it seems that the basic purpose for
which God sends the two (prophets and messengers) is the same. The Qur'an (Al-Nisaa
4: 165) has stated this purpose in the following words:

We sent these prophets as givers
of good news (to the believers) and of warning (to the rejecters); so that
people have no excuse to present before God (for their disbelief), after these
prophets.

Thus, the purpose for which God sent
His prophets and messengers was to remove all excuse for the disbelief of
mankind. To achieve this purpose, the sole duty of the prophets was to clearly
deliver the revealed message to the people. The Qur'an (Al-Nahl 16: 35) says:

So, is there anything upon these
prophets, except clearly delivering the message?

It was also repeatedly declared by
the Qur'an that the sole duty of the Prophet (pbuh) was to clearly deliver the
message, which was revealed upon him. The Qur'an (Al-`Ankaboot
29: 18) says:

The Prophet's
responsibility is only to clearly deliver the message.

Thus, as far as the responsibility
is concerned, there is not much of a difference between the prophets (Nabi)
and messengers (Rasul) of God. The
responsibility of both these designations is restricted to the clear deliverance
of the message of God. However, the Qur'an informs us that the consequences,
in the life of this world, of accepting or rejecting the call of a messenger (Rasul)
are not the same as that of accepting or rejecting the call of a prophet (Nabi).
According to the Qur'an, when a messenger (Rasul)
is sent toward a people, God, Himself, supervises the deliverance of His message
and ensures that there is absolutely no deficiency in the deliverance of this
message. The Qur'an (Al-Jinn 72:
27 - 28) says:

As for those, whom He selects as a
messenger, He surrounds them - from before them and behind them - with
armies of watchers, to ascertain that they have adequately delivered the
messages of their Lord...

As a result of this special care in
the deliverance of the message, there comes a time when the messenger has
delivered his message to the extent that no one is left with any excuse of
rejecting it. At this stage, the rejecters join all their forces against the
messengers and make their intention of turning them out of their town or even of
killing them if they do not desist from proclaiming their message. However,
this, according to the Qur'an, is not on. The Qur'an (Ibraheem
14: 13 - 14) says:

And the rejecters said to their
messengers: 'We shall surely turn you out of our land or you will return to
our ways'. Then their Lord revealed to them: 'We shall most definitely
cause these unjust people to perish, and then We shall most definitely
establish you in the land, after them...'.

At another instance, the Qur'an
has declared that as a rule, the messengers of God and their followers shall
always be triumphant against the rejecters. The Qur'an (Al-Mujaadilah
58: 20 - 21) says:

Indeed those, who oppose God and
His messengers,shall be brought
low. God has decreed: I and My messengers will surely triumph. God is indeed
Most Powerful, Mighty.

At another instance, the consequence
of rejecting the messengers are highlighted as under (Al-Room 30: 47):

And We have indeed sent before you
messengers toward their nations. Thus, they came to them with obvious signs.
Then We severely punished the transgressors [and helped the believers]. And
indeed helping the believers was incumbent upon Us.

The Qur'anÂ
tells us that the messengers of the Almighty, in contrast to Nabi's
(prophets), are not merely deliverers of God's message. It tells us that a
messenger of God is a sign of God's final justice. When God sends his
messenger among a people, these people are left with no excuse of rejection. The
truth becomes as apparent for them as the shining sun. Rejection of God's
message, even after the truth has become as apparent renders the rejecters "themselves
witnesses upon their own rejection"[2].
It is, in fact, a consequence of this special position of the messengers of God
that their rejecters are subjected to the severe retribution from God. Two
aspects of this retribution and punishment deserve special attention:

Firstly, if the addressees of the messenger are polytheists (Mushrik),
they are then sentenced to death, as a punishment of their rejection of the
messenger. The Qur'an has presented the people of `aad,
Thamud,
Nooh, Lut, Musa etc. as examples of this
category; On the other hand, if the addressees of the messenger are not
polytheists, they are then forced to become subservient to the followers of
the messenger. The Banu Israeel, after their rejection of Jesus (pbuh) were
subjected to this punishment[3].

Secondly, The implementation of this sentence may take any of the
following two forms, depending on the condition of the believers:

If the believers are very few in number and if an Islamic state has not
been created, then this punishment is directly implemented by the
Almighty. This implementation normally takes the form of a natural
calamity, like a flood, an earthquake, a windstorm etc. This has generally
been the case with the rejecters of the messengers of Allah. They were
punished by nature unleashed.

If a significant number of people accept the call of the messenger of
God and the messenger also succeeds in forming an Islamic state, then this
punishment is implemented through the believers. This serves two purposes.
Firstly, the rejecters are punished and secondly, the believers are tested
for their truthfulness and the genuineness of their faith.

Four Important
Aspects of the Law Pertaining to the Messengers of God

a)Â Â Â Â Â
The Geographical Placement of
the Messenger

The Qur'an tells us that in view
of their future mission the messengers of God are placed in the chief towns of
their particular nations. The Qur'an (Al-Qasas
28: 59) says:

And your Lord was not one to
destroy a people, without first sending a messenger in its chief town.

All those who are aware of the
political, religious and cultural significance of the central or the chief towns
and the influence that the chief town had on its surrounding localities in the
traditional societies, can easily understand the strategic importance of this
placement of the messenger of God.

As has been cited earlier (Al-Jinn
72: 27 - 28), the Qur'an informs us that due to the potential consequences
of the messengers' mission, he is under the close supervision of God and His
armies. It is also apparent from the Qur'an that the whole strategy of the
messengers' mission is devised and implemented by God, Himself. When is the
message to be delivered in private (at an individual level)? When will it be
proclaimed openly in public? How will the evil plots of the rejecters be
countered? When shall it be decided about the people that they deserve no
further attention and should be written off as staunch rejecters of God's
message, even after its truthfulness has become apparent upon them? When shall
the messenger turn away from the rejecters and seek to migrate from them? When
and how shall the rejecters be subjected to the ultimate punishment? All these
stages are decided by God alone. The messenger, is only required to deliver the
message and to obey the Almighty in the implementation of His plans.

c)Â Â Â Â Â Â
The Significance of the
Messengers' Migration

The migration of the messenger of
God and his followers is not merely a migration of a group of people from one
place to another. It is, in fact, the end of the immunity from punishment given
to the addressees of the messengers. The Qur'an (Al-Anfaal
8: 32 - 33) says:

And when they said: 'Our Lord,
if this be the truth from you, then shower upon us stones from the sky or
subject us to a painful punishment'. But your Lord was not prepared to
punish them, while you were among them; and your Lord was not going to punish
them, while their was a chance of their seeking forgiveness.

In the same manner, if the
addressees of the messenger become so averse toward the messenger that they
force him out of their town or try to kill him, their aggression is followed by
the same consequences. The Qur'an (Al-Israa
17: 76 - 77) says:

They were about to scare you away
from the land, to expel you from there. If that were the case, they would not
have lived long after you. This has been Our way in relation to the
messengers, whom We sent before you. And you shall not find any deviation in
Our way.

d)Â Â Â Â Â
The Decision Regarding the
Messengers' Migration (Hijrah)

In view of the significance of the
migration of the messenger and its consequences for the rejecters among his
addressees, the decision regarding the timing of the migration, as is the case
with each one of the stages in the deliverance of God's message, is decided
solely by the All Knowing God, Himself. When God, according to His Absolute
Knowledge decides that the addressees have been given adequate chance and
deserve no further allowance, He directs His messenger to prepare for migration.
The timing of this stage can vary according to the mental state of the
addressees. For instance, in the life of the Noah (pbuh), this stage came after
approximately nine and a half centuries of deliverance of God's message[4].
Thus, the messenger is strictly directed to concentrate in delivering God's
message and not to leave the place at which God has sent him, till the time that
God directs him to do so. The Qur'an (Al-Qalam
68: 48) says:

Therefore, wait patiently for the
decision of your Lord and do not be like the companion of the fish[5].

This, according the clear
indications of the Qur'an, is the unalterable law of God, relating to his
messengers. The Qur'an has unequivocally declared that there shall be no
change in this law of God. It is with reference to this law of God relating to
His Messengers, that Al-Fatah 48:
23 says:

This has been the way of God,
since times gone by. You shall never find any change in this way of God.

The
Implementation of the Law on the Addressees of the Prophet (pbuh)

Now let us see how God's law
relating to His messengers, as outlined in the foregoing paragraphs, was
fulfilled during the life of the Prophet (pbuh).

At the very beginning of the
Prophet's ministry, the Qur'an made it known that exactly like the previous
messengers of God, Muhammad (pbuh) is the final testimony of God's truth upon
his addressees and, therefore, if his addressees reject his message, then they
shall also be dealt with in exactly the same way, as were those who rejected
God's messengers before them. The Qur'an (Al-Muzzammil
73: 15 - 18) declares:

We have sent toward you a
messenger, as a clear witness of the truth, just as we sent toward Pharaoh a
messenger. Then, Pharaoh rejected the messenger and We seized him with a heavy
punishment. Then, if you reject, how shall you save yourselves from a day (so
grievous) that renders children, white haired (old people).

The Qur'an also declared in the
beginning of the Prophet's ministry that just as the rejecters of the previous
messengers, the addressees of Muhammad (pbuh) were now subject to God's law
relating to His messengers. In Surah Al-Qamar, while addressing the polytheists of Arabia,
the Qur'an referred to some of the more well known among the rejecters of the
previous messengers of God and mentioned the consequences that they were
subjected to face because of their rejection. At the end of the Surah,
the Qur'an (Al-Qamar 54: 43 -
45) has asked the addressees of the Prophet (pbuh):

[Why O polytheists of Arabia,
would you not be punished in the same way?] Are your unbelievers better than
these [previous rejecters of our messengers]? Or are you given immunity [from
this punishment] in the Holy Scriptures? Do they say: We are a strong army [of
men]? [Nay,] the army shall surely be routed and they shall flee turning their
backs.

Thus, the addressees of the Prophet
(pbuh) were warned of the consequences of their rejection at the beginning of
the Prophet's ministry. They were informed that if they persisted in their
rejection, they shall face the same consequences as were faced by the rejecters
of the previous messengers of God.

During the initial phase of his
ministry, the Prophet (pbuh) was directed to concentrate all his efforts in
warning the Polytheists of Arabia - especially the Qureish
of the Chief Town of Mekkah
- of the dire consequences of their rejection in the life of this world as
well as the hereafter. Al-Shooraa
42: 7 declared the purpose of the revelation of the Qur'an on Muhammad (pbuh)
in the following words:

And We have, similarly, revealed
an Arabic Qur'an toward you so that you warn the inhabitants of the Chief
Town - Mekkah - and its
surrounding areas.

At another instance, the Qur'an (Al-An`aam
6: 92) declared:

And this is a blessed book that We
have revealed upon you, confirming [the prophecies of] the previous books, [so
that you may give glad tidings to the believers] and so that you may warn the
inhabitants of the Chief Town and its surrounding areas.

As is evidenced by the Qur'an
itself, during the thirteen years of the Prophet's stay at Mekkah,
the message of the Qur'an was generally restricted to the following points:

Call to adherence to the universally acknowledged moral and ethical
values;

Promotion and information about the correct beliefs and concepts relating
to God, the Day of Judgment and His messengers and prophets and the
clarification of the responsibilities incumbent in these beliefs; and

Glad tidings of a blessed and rewarding life in this world as well as the
hereafter, if the addressees believe in the messenger and warning of a
painful punishment in this world as well as the hereafter, if the addressees
reject the messenger.

After over a decade of hard word in
oppressive circumstances, the Prophet (pbuh) was directed to explore the
potential of migration to another land. It was after this time that the Prophet
(pbuh) started presenting his message to the delegates of other tribes to Mekkah,
during the Hajj days. In the
process, the leaders of Medinah
accepted Islam. This opened the doors of Medinah
for the Prophet (pbuh) and his followers. The Prophet's migration to Medinah, as has been stated earlier, meant that the Qureish
were now a target of God's promised retribution - as with the
Prophet's migration, the Qureish were
now deprived of the immunity against God's punishment - which was now only a
matter of time.

After the establishment of the
Islamic state in Medinah, God
directed the Muslims to start preparation for fighting a war against the
rejecters of the Prophet (pbuh). It was declared that if the rejecters persist
in their rejection, the Muslims will have to fight against them. Al-Fatah
48: 16 declared:

You will fight them
or they will accept Islam.

It was also declared that this war
against the rejecters shall continue till the time that Islam becomes the only
dominant religion of the Arabian Peninsula[6].
Al-Anfaal 8: 39 declared:

Fight them, till the end of
persecution and religion becomes solely for God.

At another instance, the same end
was declared in the following words (Al-Saff
61: 8 - 9):

They want to extinguish the light
of God by the breath of their mouths, but God is going to complete His light,
even though these rejecters detest it. He it is, Who sent His messenger with
His guidance and the true religion so that He renders it dominant over all
other religions, though these polytheists detest it.

It was declared that these wars were
not fought between two normal adversaries. On the contrary, these wars were
fought between God and His enemies[7].
Therefore, the outcome of these wars was predictably apparent. Al-Fatah
48: 22 - 23 declared:

And were the rejecters to fight
you, they would definitely turn their backs, running. Then they would neither
find a guardian nor a helper. This has been the way of God, since times gone
by. You shall never find any change in this way of God.

On the other hand, the believers
were promised victory and rule in the land. Al-Noor
24: 55 declared:

God has promised those among you,
who believe and do good deeds that he shall grant them rule in the land, as
was granted to those before them and that He shall stabilize for you your
religion, which He has liked for you, and He shall change your present state
of fear with that of peace.

It was declared that the punishment,
which was to be delivered in retribution of their rejection of the messenger,
would be delivered through the hands of the believers. Al-Taubah 9: 14 declares:

Fight them, God will punish them
through your hands. He shall put them to shame and He shall grant you victory
over them and thereby heal the hearts of a believing people.

One may ask why were not the
rejecters of Muhammad (pbuh) punished in the manner in which the rejecters of
the previous messengers were punished. The answer to this question is also given
by the Qur'an. To fully understand this answer, it is important to understand
that as Islam grew in political strength, after the establishment of the Muslim
state in Medinah, a number of
people apparently accepted Islam but were not true in their belief. Cleansing
the Muslim group from such hypocrites was important for the future of the group.
Thus, clarifying why did God not punish the Mekkans
in the same manner as the addressees of the previous messengers and why God
decided to punish them through the hands of the Muslims, the Qur'an (Al-Taubah
9: 16) says:

Do you think that you would be
left alone, though God has not yet distinguished those among you, who fight
[in His way], and do not take anyone besides God, His messenger and the true
believers as friends. And God is fully aware of what you do.

Thus, it was primarily to cleanse
the group of Muslims of the hypocrites that God decided to deliver His
punishment through the hands of the believers. At another instance, while
explaining why the Muslims were made to suffer a loss in the battle of Uhud,
the Qur'an (Aal Imraan 3: 179)
declared:

God was not to leave the believers
in the state in which you are in, till He rendered the clean [of heart] and
the unclean completely distinguished from each other.

The believers were told that the
punishment of the rejecters would be implemented, whether the Muslims support
and help the Prophet (pbuh) or not. The rejecters were bound to meet their fate,
whether it be through the believers or through the unseen armies of the
Almighty. Al-Taubah 9: 39 - 40
declared:

If you do not go out [to fight],
God will subject you to a painful punishment and shall replace you with
another people and you shall not be able to harm him [i.e. the Prophet (pbuh)]
in the least. Indeed, God has power over all things. If you do not help him,
then remember that God Himself helped him, when the rejecters turned him out,
when he was only the second of the two, when they were in the cave, when he
said to his companion: 'Do not worry, indeed God is with us'. Then God
sent tranquility and peace upon him and strengthened him with armies that you
could not see and, thereby, God humbled the word of the rejecters and His word
is always exalted. And God is Powerful, Wise.

The above explanation should
adequately clarify that the so-called 'political revolution' of the Prophet
(pbuh) and his companions was, in fact, the implementation of God's law
relating to His messengers. Thus, from the collective change that took place
through the Prophet (pbuh) no analogies can be drawn for any political reform.
Whatever took place fourteen hundred years ago through the hands of the Prophet
(pbuh) and his companions was planned, produced, directed, supervised and
implemented by the Almighty Himself. This aspect of the 'revolution' renders
it beyond the scope of 'emulation' for ordinary human beings. No person, who
is aware of this particular aspect of the 'revolution', in his right frame
of mind, can aspire to 'emulate' the Prophet (pbuh), in bringing about any
political change, for it was not the Prophet (pbuh) but the Lord of the worlds,
Who brought about the referred revolution.

Keeping the foregoing explanation in
perspective, one can easily see that the derivations of the author are clearly
against the stipulations of the Qur'an. The Prophet (pbuh) did not even plan
for any 'political revolution'. On the contrary, the sole target of the
Prophet (pbuh) - like that of all the previous prophets of God - was to show
the way of cleansing the hearts, minds and souls and, thereby, to show the way
of eternal success. However, because Muhammad (pbuh) was not merely a prophet (Nabi),
but was also a messenger (Rasul)
of God, therefore, rejecting or accepting him was to have its respective
consequences in the life of this world as well as in the hereafter. Whatever
'revolution' took place in Arabia, was actually the divine implementation of
the reward and the punishment of the believers and the rejecters, respectively.
During his stay at Mekkah, there
was nothing revealed in the Qur'an (except a few verses immediately preceding
the Hijrah) to suggest that any
'political revolution' was even being planned by the Almighty. It was only
after God had directed the Prophet (pbuh) to start exploring the possibility of
migration that indications of a universal collective change in the Arabian
Peninsula were revealed. The directives relating to collective laws were
revealed even after that, when the Muslim state in Medinah
had actually been formed.

I am sure that if seen in the light
of the foregoing explanation, none of the arguments presented by the author will
seem relevant to his contentions. However, in case any question remains in your
mind, please do let me know. I shall do my best to further clarify the issue.

I hope this helps.

March
10, 2001

[1]
At this point, the author writes: "So they would be required to obey Allah
(swt) when he commanded them to collectively work together as an Islamic
political party to bring radical change when He (swt) said, "Let there
arise out of you a party, inviting to the good, ordering what is right, and
forbidding what is wrong. And they are those who are successful [Ale-Imran:103]".
However, the important thing to note is that this 'command' was revealed
only after the radical change had taken place - i.e. after the
establishment of the Islamic state at Medinah.
Obviously, for the author's opinion regarding the implication of the verse
to be even considerable, it should have been revealed before (and for) the
establishment of the Islamic state.

[5]
The phrase 'companion of the fish' is a reference to Jonah - Yunus
- (pbuh), who according to the Qur'an left his people before
God had directed him to do so. Jonah (pbuh) was later brought back to his
people and was directed to steadfastly deliver God's message till the time
that God directs him to leave. According to the Qur'an (as well as the
Bible), all the addressees of Jonah (pbuh) believed in his message, after
God sent him back to them.

[6]
This was also a natural consequence of the advent of the messenger of God in
the Arabian Peninsula.

[7]
This is also a clear implication of calling the army of the believers by the
title 'Hizb Allah' (i.e.
The Party/Group of God).